Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to have a box of fun. I
Speaker 1: don't know about you, but I actually like those baskets
Speaker 1: of random treats that people send around the holidays. I
Speaker 1: like finding a new candy or new kind of cheese,
Speaker 1: even if I don't actually wind up eating the items
Speaker 1: in question. One of my favorite baby gifts I've ever
Speaker 1: received was a wagon filled with random toys, books, and outfits.
Speaker 1: It's a collection of stuff to discover and it can
Speaker 1: be quite enjoyable. Now, this is particularly true for smaller sorts,
Speaker 1: whether you have kids of your own or not. Kids
Speaker 1: surely visit your home every now and then, or at
Speaker 1: least will in the future when socializing returns to normal.
Speaker 1: You can become a favorite destination by all always having
Speaker 1: a box of fun on hand for your young guests
Speaker 1: to peruse and enjoy. And when they're happy, everyone else
Speaker 1: will be happy, and that can create a lot of goodwill. Now,
Speaker 1: a box of fun doesn't have to be particularly fancy.
Speaker 1: Buy a plastic storage container and then fill it with
Speaker 1: some all purpose toys and art supplies. Such as cryans
Speaker 1: and paper or coloring books, a slinky matchbox, cars, a
Speaker 1: word fine book, a deck of cards, dolls, stuffed animals, legos,
Speaker 1: and so on. You may already have some of these
Speaker 1: things in your house and that could go in your
Speaker 1: box of Fun. If not, ten dollars at the dollar
Speaker 1: store can go a long way. If you're not sure
Speaker 1: what to include, you could enlist in older child's help
Speaker 1: to select items for the box. Now, this box is
Speaker 1: nothing earth shattering, but branding it as a box of
Speaker 1: Fun or with another name of your choosing makes it
Speaker 1: a thing. It makes it feel special and intentional. You
Speaker 1: are not just handing a child a random toy and
Speaker 1: asking the child to entertain themselves. You've curated an assortment
Speaker 1: of items with their delight in mind. Maybe you call
Speaker 1: it a treasure chest or a recreation station, though I
Speaker 1: personally like box of fun. Just give it a name
Speaker 1: to make it feel special. When kids know you have
Speaker 1: this box of fun, they'll ask for it by name
Speaker 1: when they get to your house. Opening the box of
Speaker 1: Fun will be a happy ritual when they arrive and
Speaker 1: see what new items you've included. You can store the
Speaker 1: box of Fun in a coat closet or mudroom so
Speaker 1: that it's accessible as soon as it's requested. Having a
Speaker 1: box of fun ensures that all your guests feel welcome
Speaker 1: and lets you interact with your young friend's parents while
Speaker 1: the kids stay happily entertained. Now, I know that most
Speaker 1: families with kids feel like the house is already overrun
Speaker 1: with toys, but it might be helpful for parants to
Speaker 1: create a box of fun too. If a client or
Speaker 1: your boss calls unexpectedly and you need something to occupy
Speaker 1: the kids, a box of fun can do the trick.
Speaker 1: A new toy or two will occupy the child for
Speaker 1: at least a little bit, meaning that maybe, just maybe,
Speaker 1: you can take your call in peace. What would you
Speaker 1: put in a box of fun? If you create one,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear all about it, because I am
Speaker 1: always looking for ideas. You can reach me at Before
Speaker 1: Breakfast podcast at ihart media dot com. In the meantime,
Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's b E the
Speaker 1: number four, then Breakfast p O D. You can also
Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia
Speaker 1: dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all
Speaker 1: the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying
Speaker 1: in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio.
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